FVP Machar reiterates his readiness for elections

By Benjamin Takpiny

The First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon has reiterated the readiness of the his party the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In opposition (SPLM-IO) to contest the upcoming 2024 general election.

“H.E. Dr. Machar reiterated the SPLM’s (IO) readiness for the elections; however, he emphasized the need for all the necessary prerequisites for elections to be met, which are: completing security arrangements; repatriating refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their areas of origin; conducting a national census to delineate and determine the boundaries of electoral constituencies; establishing a permanent constitution; and, more importantly, the availability of funds for electoral activities,” said a statement published on the Facebook page of the Office of the First Vice President.

It said that Machar met on Tuesday with the United States Ambassador to South Sudan, Michael J. Adler, at his residence in Juba, adding that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress of the revitalized peace agreement and the upcoming general election in the country.

It said that Machar stressed the need for the parties to agree on the middle echelon of the necessary unified forces to expedite the process of completing the deployment of the second batch (Phase II).

It added that Machar assured the ambassador of his and the SPLM-IO commitment to fully implementing the agreement in both letter and spirit.

For his part, U.S Ambassador Adler expressed his concerns about the slow pace of progress in completing the formation and deployment of the necessary unified forces to ensure politically neutral security forces.

He noted that the steps most necessary to the conduct of elections include opening civic space, neutral security forces, funding electoral processes, shunning violence as a tool of political competition, and committing to dialogue.